Refrigerant Circuit Vacuum Control in Split Air Conditioner Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional air conditioner installation methods often fail to ensure sufficient evacuation, leading to refrigerant leakage and instability of hydrofluoroolefin-based refrigerants, which decompose due to water and oxygen, causing material degradation and potential system failure.
Innovation Solution
A ring-shaped refrigerant circuit with a pressure detector and control unit that closes and opens valves to manage vacuum levels, ensuring reliable evacuation and operation, using hydrofluoroolefin refrigerants like tetrafluoropropene mixed with difluoromethane and pentafluoroethane to minimize global warming potential.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional evacuation methods are used during installation, then the installation process is simple, but the evacuation is not carried out sufficiently leading to refrigerant leakage and system contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-charging the refrigerant circuit with nitrogen gas before installation. This preliminary gas charging creates a protective atmosphere that prevents air and moisture contamination during the installation process, ensuring sufficient evacuation without requiring complex evacuation operations at the installation site.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates an inert atmosphere by charging nitrogen gas into the refrigerant circuit during installation. This inert gas environment prevents oxidation and contamination of the refrigerant and system components, solving the problem of insufficient evacuation while maintaining installation simplicity.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If hydrofluoroolefin-based refrigerant is used to reduce global warming potential, then environmental impact is reduced, but the refrigerant decomposes due to water and oxygen causing material degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses nitrogen gas to create an inert atmosphere in the refrigerant circuit, preventing water and oxygen from contacting the hydrofluoroolefin-based refrigerant. This protects the refrigerant from decomposition and prevents material degradation, allowing the use of environmentally friendly refrigerants without compromising system reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary nitrogen gas charging into the refrigerant circuit before the refrigerant is introduced. This preliminary action establishes a protective inert environment that prevents harmful reactions between the unstable hydrofluoroolefin refrigerant and atmospheric contaminants throughout the system operation.
3Ease of operation
If adsorbent is charged into the refrigeration cycle to eliminate evacuation operation, then evacuation operation is eliminated, but a long connection pipe is required and the air conditioner is increased in size
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses nitrogen gas charging to create an inert atmosphere that eliminates the need for adsorbent materials. This approach simplifies installation by removing evacuation operations while avoiding the need for long connection pipes and large adsorbent capacities, thus preventing air conditioner size increase.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the need for adsorbent materials by using nitrogen gas charging instead. This removes the disturbing element (adsorbent) from the system, eliminating the requirement for large connection pipes and reducing the overall air conditioner size while still achieving the goal of eliminating complex evacuation operations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution ensures reliable evacuation and operation performance by detecting and maintaining optimal vacuum levels, preventing refrigerant decomposition and material degradation, while reducing global warming impact.
Implementation Method 1
a pressure detector provided on the pipe from the liquid-side valve to the indoor heat exchanger or the pipe from the indoor heat exchanger to the gas-side valve
Implementation Method 2
a refrigerant charge port provided in a connection valve connected to the liquid-side connection pipe or the gas-side connection pipe
Data Source
AI summary
An air conditioner includes a refrigerant charge port provided in an outdoor liquid-side connection valve or an outdoor gas-side connection valve, a liquid-side valve provided between the outdoor liquid-side connection valve and an expansion valve, and a gas-side valve between the indoor gas-side connection valve and a compressor. When an outdoor unit and indoor unit are separated, the liquid-side and gas-side valves are closed, and a refrigerant is charged into an outdoor connection pipe that is closed by the liquid-side valve and the gas-side valve. A control unit is adapted to close the refrigerant charge port, and then open the liquid-side valve and the gas-side valve when a pressure detector detects a predetermined degree of vacuum.